wolf radio antennas

[Marconi]

Ok that makes much more sense even if it does not change one fact about the signals reported.

Of course he could have been lying too and just dumped a kw or two more your way as well. Some of those big dogs over there on the mountains near the Mojave have been known to do that and you know it.

Interesting report none-the-less.

Thanks

 

[JAFO]

Hello again Marconi

What did you mean by; "...even if it does not change one fact about the signals reported"? - I'm not sure I'm clear on the meaning of your comment.

Jay in the Mohave is about the only guy I've heard of who is associated with that area, that's about a 7-8 hour drive from here in No Cal., and since his antenna is only good for about 10K...

That guy I was talking about was on SSB and he was in the hills above Chico, Ca. back in the early 90's when I lived in Sacramento.

He was probably getting about 500w-600w pep. That's what my Skipper used to do.

73

 

[Marconi]

Well JAFO I don't think I will take anymore time trying to explain my words except to say it seems to me to be pretty simple as to what I meant. The story changed a little but the facts as you stated them remained the same.

It is just not worth my trying to say anything more that could really make you happy except to say take care and have a good day in spite of all this confusion.

Eddie

 

[JAFO]

Well JAFO I don't think I will take anymore time trying to explain my words except to say it seems to me to be pretty simple as to what I meant
The story changed a little but the facts as you stated them remained the same.
It is just not worth my trying to say anything more that could really make you happy except to say take care and have a good day in spite of all this confusion.

Hey, no problem. We all have to take a 2nd glance sometimes.

I'm sure by 'changes' you meant the additional info I gave you in answer to your query.

It's no trouble at all to offer additional clarification when asked.

73

 

[Marconi]

Thank you for understanding JAFO, I just didn't want to say anymore that would make you feel any more uncomfortable. I sure didn't want to be accused of piling on.

I may have said it badly and I probably misread your words here, but all I meant was that the jest of the story changed from what originally sounded like a test scenario you made, to another story of an old fart out in the desert that was doing just what he darn well pleased, and you probably had no way of knowing what the heck he was doing and you did not like what he was doing, but yet and still you were willing to believe what he said about just changing antennas and that is all, a story he gave you that maybe bordered on ridicules as far as the numbers went.

Do you still hold by the increase of 4db just by switching from an A99 to a Sigma IV? A Sigma IV is a very good antenna, in my opinion, but I don’t believe it is quite that good.

Now I have explained to you exactly what I was thinking. I hope you understand, I meant you no harm.

Hang loose,

Eddie

 

[JAFO]

Hey, no worries and you know, I had mentioned two different personal experiences regarding the A-99, maybe it sounded like it was only one.

I tested an A-99 against my Penetrator and saw ~3.5 S-units drop on both ends, but what I believe you're referring to is the guy in the hills above Chico back in the late 80's-early 90's.

I was using a Yaesu FT-107M which had the 11m crystal added into the 2nd 10m slot and was never realigned so it may have had a small sensitivity issue, but I loved the rig, appreciated the meter and regret selling that one!

You know, you can usually tell when someone is pulling your leg or BSing and I recall being pretty convinced - I don't remember the process I went through in determining the validity of the info, but I do recall feeling I could believe him, and I also remember not being very surprised when he told me he had switched from an A-99 to a metal 5/8 as I had already determined they were basically 18' dummy loads in comparison.

And it was an Avanti Sigma 5/8 with the 18" or so diameter ring above the 4 9' radials. - It looked just like the Maco V-5/8 but was a few feet longer.

Those Sigma-4's weren't at all popular 'round these parts as they quickly earned the reputation of losing the top 4-5 feet of the stinger in the wind like clockwork.

In the mid 80's a neighbor about 1/2 mile away right across the creek, had a real gold-annodized Larry's LW-150 (Sigma-4 style) and it was a monster, well over 20lbs and extremely well built. It was neck and neck with my Penetrator whether we would talk 2 or 20 miles, then the Penetrator would start coming on and out-talking his. At that time we both also had the same radios, - TRC-457s.
His antenna was about 10'-15' higher than mine, but at 27' long that 3/4 wave with it's higher radiation angle drops off where a 5/8-.64 will keep on keepin' on.

73

 

[Marconi]

No JAFO, I was referring to my old buds, them big boys Paul, Randy, Wes, Gator, and Dennis, out there west of the Mojave blowin smoke big time. You remember Paul ran a meat market out there where he advertised "You can't beat my meat!"

We use to give them old boys, EW and his gang of peckerwoods up there in Houston, on 27.365, the where-whatfor. Hey boy this is Old Grandpa and I come back alive.

When I would go to Corpus, me and the boys in the desert would get them boys in Houston between us and they couldn't do nothin' with us. Them were the good old days.

Hang loose,

Old Grandpa
Live and in color from
Corpus Christi Texas

 

[JAFO]

"The Where-whatfor"...??? Are you by chance from

...Vermont?

Yup, I was just a wee tyke when you were hammerin' a loud KW, but I 'member them days even though I was still a youngun waitin' fer 'em to drop!

...back b4 the police state of anti-caucasian correctness.

Hey, bring it on, I love 'em all.

73!

 

[Marconi]

Heck no I'm not from Vermont. Them folks don't know justice when they let rapist off with a 60 day sentence after pleading guilty.

I'm from Texas.

Hang loose,

 

[WolfRadio.com]

I am not going to bother quoting anyone. I didn't mean to come over that intense in that previous post Scott. I apologize for that, I guess I read it a little to seriously. Sometimes I get a little too scientific.

Anyway, I want to say something about the Larry Walik LW-150. I had sold some of those way back and ran one myself for a while. Like you said, it was heavy duty, but it had defects. I had to modify all of them to work right. The length was off and the gamma needed to be changed.

The funny thing was later on I was able to meet Larry through a friend of mine (Monkey) on the radio that actually grew up with the dude. The guy was worth millions; we hung out on his yacht named, "High Frequencies" parked in the intercoastal. Apparently they had a similar history growing up with radios and antennas always trying to out do the other. Only they lived on the same block!

That night I complained to him about the antennas being factory defective and he seemed surprised. I don’t know if he ever did anything about, he had some place in Italy making them I believe.

Wolf

 

[JAFO]

Yep, that's what my friend said, that it was made in Italy.

I love those allen tightened barrelled junction clamps, I'd like to see something of that level of overbuild available today but I bet it would cost as much as the Coily!! :shock:

I also remember we had to lengthen it by adding about an 8" long piece of 6061 tubing I had left over from the Quad building days and tune the match at the ragged edge, but he also liked it to go to the 10m Novice Band.
I lost touch with him when he moved to Boise.

You know Ed, now that you've got me thinking about all my radio years I just hadn't realized how many great times were associated with radio, AWAY from being on-the-air!
- Like your Yacht gathering, I've run into some of the coolest people and experiences through the radio. We're a social bunch aren't we!

Look, no problem Ed with the posts and stuff, I probably came out here with a fury as I was so jazzed to both see a new antenna design and to get back on the forum - I guess I gotta ease up on the Rockstar Cola...

I need to chat with you via email about possibly combining shipping if several of us can bundle together our orders.

Hey, Thanks for the relaxed 'what's-up', I sure wouldn't want to RILE the WOLF!!

73, Gents

 

[WolfRadio.com]

In the mid 80's a neighbor about 1/2 mile away right across the creek, had a real gold-annodized Larry's LW-150 (Sigma-4 style) and it was a monster, well over 20lbs and extremely well built. It was neck and neck with my Penetrator whether we would talk 2 or 20 miles, then the Penetrator would start coming on and out-talking his. At that time we both also had the same radios, - TRC-457s.
His antenna was about 10'-15' higher than mine, but at 27' long that 3/4 wave with it's higher radiation angle drops off where a 5/8-.64 will keep on keepin' on.

I re-read your post a little closer and I want to zoom in on what you said about the Penetrator beating the LW-150 in the long run. This is yet another defect - because that design should have a higher gain than the 5/8. We know that antenna is a copy of the Avanti Sigma IV which is a ¾-7/8 wave phased vertical. Now you mistakenly said that a ¾ wave has a higher angle of radiation, but that’s only true in a plain element without any phasing - and of course - this would have poor local performance, but more on this later. When proper phasing of the current is accomplished, the angle of radiation becomes lower than the 5/8 or .64. That’s what gives it more gain, the same is true for a full wavelength vertical, when you re-phase the current, the angle gets lower still.

The point I’m trying to make is we know that the original Avanti worked, it had the additional gain. They accomplished the re-phasing by carefully folding a set of ¼ wave radials upwards and alongside the radiating element. What does this resemble? How about the bottom of a J-Pole? There is more than one way to accomplish the re-phasing and they opted for that approach, but if its not done just right it won’t work. Sure you may be able to get the swr low but that is not an indication of proper gain. The tuning of the folded radials is critical to the re-phasing and thus the gain. Now, under this condition of de-tune the lobe pattern is skewed, and is - more likely than not - to be shooting into the air instead of down on the ground. If you have ever played with a J-Pole you know how important the spacing of the ¼ wave element is to the tuning, this is probably where they erred.

Now speaking more about the angle of radiation from a vertical antenna. In my early prototyping and testing of the .64 I came across a cool idea for a new antenna that I can make. Scott, I think this may interest you more than most because of your detailed knowledge and history with omni’s. How about a ¾ wave or slightly longer vertical (27-30ft.) with a Switchable Angle of Radiation! That’s right, switchable, from inside the shack, at will. Now….. If you have never had that ability before you might scratch your head and say, what use could that possibly have? Well, it takes the shape of a DX/Local type switch. In the local position, the low angle mode, it becomes a ¾ + wave phased system giving a 5 – 10 degree launch (Higher gain than .64) which is optimum for local and fringe work. In the DX mode the phasing coil is shorted out and the antenna reverts back to normal. This causes the major lobe of the antenna to rise up to about 30 degrees, which happens to be pretty effective in DX, but causes the local signals to drop down by 15dB or more. When you switch back and forth on a channel during a time when there is both skip rolling, and local conversations, it gives the look of going back and forth from vertical to horizontal on a beam. But in fact you remain vertically polarized. I guess the ultimate would be a vertical/ horizontal w/switchable angle of rad. Can you dig it??? Do you think anybody would be interested in buying something like that?

Wolf

 

[JAFO]

Hi Eddie,
That's a very cool offer, I would absolutely get a kick out of being a guinea pig.

I take it this is a prototype you're looking to begin marketing? - It sounds like it should also be an excellent receiving omni with that much capture area... you bet, I'm sure there would be a market for that!

I'm very interested, let's talk. - Are you by chance a Verizon cell user?

 

[RoadWarrior]

If you like your antenna, just enjoy using it.
Just thought i'd throw in my 2 cents...LOL
Results i got from switching from A-99 to Imax 2000
was about a 1/4 S-unit difference here.
My friend replaced a A-99 with a Imax on his end and
i noticed the same 1/4 S-unit difference.
I've lost track on what this thread is even about...LOL

 

[Marconi]

Eddie with Wolf radio, will the switchable antenna you speak about require an electrical switch or will there be two feed lines feeding the antenna?

Have you put a cost to such an antenna?